Scott's Story
Taking an active role in the recovery process.
​​A native of southwest Louisiana, Scott was born into the Swinging Sixties. Early in his teenage years, he developed a taste for the party scene. He excelled in school and joined his father in dentistry in 1990. After a minor spinal cord injury, he became addicted to prescription opiates and in 1994, at the suggestion of his father and wife, he entered Hazelden for substance abuse treatment.
He has remained sober through the program of Alcoholics Anonymous for over 30 years.
In 2018, Scott was prescribed opiates following a cervical fusion surgical procedure. He chose to enter Whispering Oaks Lodge 12-step treatment center in Youngsville, LA, for "Relapse Prevention" therapy. Entering with an array of physical, emotional, and spiritual issues, after just a few short weeks, Scott came away from the experience renewed. While there, he received counseling to help him accept his new physical limitations and was able to resolve his emotional and spiritual issues through his faith.
Jacob's Story
On a Journey That's Just Beginning.
​Jacob recently received a PhD from Harvard, where he studied immunology and molecular biology. Despite his many outward successes, his private life has been characterized by progressive addiction and turmoil.
He began taking opiates in high school and in college quickly progressed to alcohol and marijuana to escape his feelings of fear, anxiety, and inadequacy. As he continued to escape himself with increasing amounts of cannabis concentrates, alcohol and powerful hallucinogens, he suffered chronic emotional instability, hospitalizations, arrests, civil suits, and ultimately loss of intimate relationships with friends and family. After trying and failing numerous times over the years to get sober by himself, he finally reached out to his family for help.
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Unbeknownst to Jacob, his father and Scott had been on a phone call the prior week praying for Jacob to become willing to get help to achieve sobriety.
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As God would have it, Jacob spoke with Scott and agreed to travel from Boston to Youngsville, LA, for inpatient treatment at Whispering Oaks Lodge.
Once there, Jacob felt safe and supported to deal with his demons. Immersed in an idyllic setting and surrounded by an experienced, caring, and understanding staff, Jacob underwent addiction education, individual and group counseling, and movie and equine therapy. Jacob was able to come to an understanding of his illness and experienced a spiritual transformation that resulted in a complete relief from the desire to consume substances.
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Currently, Jacob attends regular AA meetings, continues to grow in his recovery, and is committed to helping others who struggle with addiction by sharing his story and experiences. He finds himself able to deal with the pain and uncertainties of life with more grace, and he has faith that his life has a deeper purpose and that his journey is just beginning.
Michael C.
On a Journey That's Just Beginning.
"After struggling with alcoholism and substance abuse from my teenage years into adulthood, it was apparent that I could no longer live or function this way. So I joined an outpatient treatment program where I remained sober for multiple years. After a long alcohol relapse period, I was living in my own personal hell again.
I reached out to friend (Scott W) who quickly referred me to Whispering Oaks Lodge. This place changed my life!! Their approach to sobriety was unlike anything I ever experienced or expected. With their caring, counseling and really digging into my personal and psychological history, they amazingly helped me develop a treatment plan and coping system that I continue to this day.
Joshua L.
From an early age, I was exposed to drugs and alcohol, and I just thought that was a normal way of life. In high school, I began smoking marijuana and getting into trouble. That quickly grew into using harder drugs, getting arrested multiple times, and a complete loss of ambition. Finally, I thought I'd learned my lesson when I was 18, getting 44 felonies in one night. From there I straightened up for a few years and began attending college for engineering.
I eventually began using alcohol again, and it wasn't long before I was back in my old habits. There were many times that I tried to get sober, but unfortunately, it never lasted very long. This repeated itself for a few years until I was 28. I was at a bar on a Sunday drinking and got this overwhelming feeling that I had to do something, otherwise I’d waste my life as an alcoholic and addict. I reached out to Scott, and he recommended Whispering Oaks Lodge and helped me secure a spot in the program.
​The next day I packed my bags and made the journey. I spent 6 weeks in the program and every day got a little brighter. Once I left Whispering Oaks Lodge, the real challenge began as I was back in my old environment. The difference was I had a lot more tools in my toolbox and knew how to effectively use them. It’s been 2 years, and I’m still sober, all thanks to the program of AA, and Whispering Oaks Lodge.